{
  "id": "dict_006196",
  "term": "Zuriel",
  "slug": "zuriel",
  "letter": "Z",
  "entry_type": "biblical_person",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "Zuriel is a Levite named in the wilderness census as the father of Shelumiel?",
  "simple_one_line": "Zuriel is a minor Levite in Numbers, identified as the son of Abihail and chief of the Merarite clans.",
  "tooltip_text": "Minor Old Testament Levite; chief of the Merarite clans in the wilderness census.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "Levites",
    "Merari",
    "Numbers",
    "Wilderness wanderings"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Elizaphan",
    "Abihail",
    "Tabernacle service"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "Zuriel is a minor Old Testament figure mentioned in Numbers as a Levite leader during Israel’s wilderness period.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "A Levite named in the wilderness census, identified as the son of Abihail and chief over the Merarite clans.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "Appears in Numbers 3:35",
    "Connected with the tribe of Levi, specifically the Merarites",
    "His role is genealogical and administrative rather than narrative",
    "Scripture gives no further biography"
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "Zuriel appears in Numbers as a Levite associated with the Merarite clan. He is identified as the son of Abihail and one of the leaders responsible for Israel’s wilderness organization. Scripture gives no extended narrative about him, so his significance is chiefly genealogical and administrative.",
  "description_academic_full": "Zuriel is a minor biblical person mentioned in the wilderness census and clan arrangements of Israel. Numbers 3:35 identifies him as the son of Abihail and the chief of the father’s house of the families of the Merarites. The text does not preserve a personal biography or any recorded sayings, so his importance lies mainly in showing the ordered structure of the Levites during Israel’s journey through the wilderness. Because the Bible says little more, any entry should remain modest and text-bound.",
  "background_biblical_context": "In Numbers, the Levites are organized by clan for service connected with the tabernacle. Zuriel belongs to that administrative setting, where family lines and leadership positions mattered for Israel’s worship life and camp order.",
  "background_historical_context": "The wilderness census reflects Israel’s organization as a covenant people under God’s command. Clan heads and family leaders helped structure sacred service, transport, and camp responsibilities.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "In ancient Israel, tribal and clan identity carried legal, religious, and social significance. A named clan head such as Zuriel would have been recognized as part of the ordered leadership of Levi.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Numbers 3:35"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "Numbers 1–4 (Levite organization and census context)"
  ],
  "original_language_note": "The Hebrew form is זוּרִיאֵל (Zuriel), commonly understood as a personal name. The Bible itself does not explain its meaning.",
  "theological_significance": "Zuriel’s main significance is indirect: he witnesses to God’s ordering of Israel’s worship and the importance of faithful service within the Levite clans.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "This entry illustrates how Scripture often preserves apparently minor names to locate real people within covenant history. Even brief mentions can serve the larger biblical theme of ordered worship and corporate responsibility.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Do not confuse Zuriel with later or unrelated figures. Scripture provides no independent theology, miracle, or moral lesson centered on him, so claims should not go beyond the text.",
  "major_views_note": "There is no major interpretive debate about Zuriel himself. The main issue is simply identifying him correctly from the census text.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "Zuriel is a historical biblical person, not a doctrinal category or theological concept. No doctrine should be built from his name alone.",
  "practical_significance": "Zuriel reminds readers that God values even ordinary and little-known servants in the life of his people. Faithful service matters even when Scripture records only a name and role.",
  "meta_description": "Zuriel is a Levite named in Numbers 3:35 as son of Abihail and chief of the Merarite clans.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/zuriel/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/zuriel.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}